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Tag: Senator Ike Ekweremadu

  • South East Senators, IPOB leader meet in Abuja

    South East Senators, IPOB leader meet in Abuja

    …As Ekweremadu raises alarm over alleged plot by EFCC to frame him

     

    The recently released leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu late on Tuesday met with South East Senators.

    The meeting held in the Apo Legislative Quarters residence of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was said to have been used by the IPOB leader to thank the senators for their efforts to secure his release.

    A source privy to the meeting said that the senators asked Kanu to endeavour to honour the bail conditions under which he was released by an Abuja Federal High Court on April 28, 2017.

    The senators were also said to have assured Kanu that they were working to actualize the three IPOB members still in detention.

    He said that the South East senators did not ask Kanu to shelve his agitation for the actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra.

    He added that the meeting also stressed the need for unity and development in the South East zone.

    The meeting came as Ekweremadu on Wednesday raised the alarm over alleged plot by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to frame him up and arrest him.

    Ekweremadu who raised the alarm on the floor of the Senate read an alert letter he received from an unnamed informant.

    The informant asked Ekweremadu to “Please treat this with utmost secrecy by protecting the identity of the source.”

    A source close to Ekweremadu informed that “We suspect that the EFCC is coming after key members of the South East Senate caucus due to their roles in the release of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu.”

    He said that members of the South Caucus “met at the private residence of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Abuja on Tuesday night, where they extensively discussed the alleged looming political persecution.”

    His listed some of those in attendance at the meeting to include, Kanu, Ekweremadu, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Theodore Orji, Andy Uba, Hope Uzodinma, Gilbert Nnaji, Sam Egwu and Sonni Ugbuoji.

    Findings also showed that prior to the release of Kanu on April 28, members of the caucus met on several occasions at Ekweremadu’s Apo residence to strategise on how to get Kanu out of the hook.

    It was at one of the meetings that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe elected to serve as the surety to Kanu.

    The source said that “the Presidency may be unhappy over the roles played by Senators, especially Ekweremadu and Abaribe.”

    Senator Ekweremadu told the Senate that he was alerted about alleged plot by the EFCC to invade his country home in Enugu and other apartments, under the guise of searching for looted funds and guns.

    Ekweremadu read the letter said to have been written to him by an unnamed informant, informing him of EFCC’s plans and alleged plot by the anti-graft agency to “plant arms and ammunition in his apartment during the raid.”

    He said that the intention was to label him as a corrupt politician, unfit to hold any public office.

    Ekweremadu added that plans have also been concluded by EFCC to use groups to protest in major cities across the country, calling for his resignation and prosecution.

    The letter read in part: “Distinguished Senator, there is a grand plan from the cabals in the presidency, using the EFCC as an anti-graft agency to indict and remove you from office. These cabal in the presidency have mandated the EFCC chairman to carry out this evil operation within two weeks.

    “On the 6th of May Saturday night 2017/Sunday morning, the EFCC alongside local and international media both print and TV will raid an apartment under the guise of whistle blowing policy of the Federal Government.

    “They will come with a search warrant already obtained from a Magistrate Court to search an apartment alleged to be one of your guest houses in Enugu, the state capital or any available apartment in your senatorial district that will serve this evil purpose.

    “EFCC is claiming to have received a tip off from a whistle blower in your state alerting the agency of a huge amount of money of different currencies in the said apartment belonging to you, senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “They will say that the money is a proceed which is likely to be illegally obtained and acquired, which constitute abuse of office and corruption.

    “A huge amount of money with different currencies, such as British pound sterling, US dollars, Indian rupee, South Africa rand, and Malaysian Ringgit will be ‘discovered’.

    “Documents alleged to be yours, such as 2015 campaign memo and logistic, a list of names of chairmen of local wards of party men and women that benefited from your empowerment programme and other cooked up documents bearing your signature.

    “A single photo portrait of yours will be placed in the sitting room. Ammunition such as AK 47, two pump action gun with unused gun bullet will be found.

    “You will be invited by the anti-graft agency for questioning and interrogation to shed more light on the said apartment which will lead to your arrest and detention, pending the outcome of the investigation.

    “While you are still in detention, sponsored non-governmental organizations will be protesting round the nation and in cities like Lagos, Enugu, Anambra, Abuja, etc.

    “Sponsored youth in your senatorial district will come to Abuja protesting in the National Assembly gate with petitions submitted to the Senate President and one to the Clark to the National Assembly to recall you.

    “While protest is ongoing according to their evil plan, the EFCC after detaining  you for at least three weeks, you will be charge to court since section 308 immunity clause does not apply to your office.

    “The cabals in the presidency are planning to indict you and to kill your political ambition so that you can no longer stand for any future elections. They also want to show to the international community and Nigerian people that you are a corrupt politician.

    “I sympathized with you and God will continue to use people like us to destabilize their evil plan against you. I wish you all the best in your political journey.‎”

    There was no debate of the letter and Ekweremadu said that he only wanted to alert the Senate about what was likely in the offing.

     

  • Ekweremadu to FG: Extend whistle-blower to arms proliferation

    Ekweremadu to FG: Extend whistle-blower to arms proliferation

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Wednesday urged the Federal Government to extend its whistle-blower policy in the anti-corruption war to the efforts to arrest the proliferation of arms.
    He said that whistle-blower policy should also be extended to incessant killings in various parts of the country.  
    Ekweremadu noted that the right to life remained the single most important human right.
    He insisted that unless such illicit arms were mopped up, the mass killings and destruction of lives and property would continue. 
    He also urged the Federal Government to ensure respect for human rights in the implementation of whistle-blower policy in the war against corruption and proliferation of arms.
    A statement by his media adviser, Uche Anichukwu, said that Ekweremadu spoke while paying host to a delegation of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), which paid a courtesy call to him in his office Wednesday. 
    Ekweremadu said: “Life has lost meaning in Nigeria and people are killed every day and everywhere in Nigeria and the Senate is very worried about it.
    “We just considered the report of the Senate Committee that investigated conflicts in many parts of Nigeria, especially the killings in Southern Kaduna. We asked the Committee to go back and do more work because the matter is such a very serious one. 
    “I also made it clear that it is important that just as we have addressed the issues of money laundering and corruption with the whistle-blower policy, it is time for us to bring that to bear on the issue of arms proliferation in the country.
    “People keep arms all over the place and some people know where they are. It is time that those who know where these arms are should be able to blow the whistle on them so that the security agencies will be able to go after them and ensure that they are seized and destroyed. So long as we have arms all over the place, the killings will continue”. 
    It said that while commending the Nigerian human rights community, especially HURIWA, for consistently standing up for the rights of Nigerians, Ekweremadu said human rights were at the heart of democracy.
    Ekweremadu said that all legitimate steps must be taken to preserve human rights as well as uphold constitutionalism and rule of law.
    Senator Ekweremadu, however, said that while he remained a proponent of whistle-blower policy, the invasion of people’s privacy without due diligence was completely unacceptable. 
    He noted that the Constitution guaranteed the protection of the people’s privacy, including their phones, and decried a situation where the courts, especially the magistrates courts, collude with security agencies to invade peoples homes on some spurious warrants.
    Such growing culture, he said, was “taking Nigeria back to the dark old days, because for you to go into peoples houses and search, there must be concrete evidence, due legal process, and not mere speculations”.
    He also called on the Nigerian Civil Society community to leverage on the CSOs Desk at the National Assembly to partner with the apex legislative body for good governance of the nation. 
    National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, extolled the efforts of the Senate to deepening Nigeria’s democracy and defending the separation of powers.
    Onwubiko said the recent amendment to the Electoral Act approving electronic voting was a cardinal move that would entrench democracy.
  • Ekweremadu seeks regional economic integration by states 

    Ekweremadu seeks regional economic integration by states 

    …Says volatile exchange rate killing industries, SMEs

     

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has made case for regional economic integration by the states of the federation along their geopolitical zones.

    Ekweremadu said such regional economic integration would fast-track the country’s industrialisation.

    This is even as he said the failure to maintain a uniform exchange rate was antithetical to the promotion of the industrial sector and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs.

    He linked the flight and death of many industries and enterprises to the failure to maintain uniform exchange rate.

    A statement by his Media aide, Uche Anichukwu, said that Ekweremadu spoke at the opening of the 28th Enugu International Trade Fair Friday, where he also advocated linkages between different groups of enterprises as big businesses had more access to international trade and investment links.

    The Senator said states stood to gain more and develop commerce, industry, mines, and agriculture faster when they converge their potentials and resources to benefit from the economies of scale.

    To encourage this, however, he said the nation needed restructuring to allow the federating units reasonable autonomy and constitutional empowerments to take initiatives.

    Ekweremadu said, “Contiguous to regional economic integration is the need for restructuring to move matters like power, railway, aviation, ports, and mineral resources, among others to the concurrent list. That way, States will not have to depend on the Federal Government for the critical infrastructure needed to drive industrialisation.

    “With this and visionary leaders, the South East can easily become the Japan, Dubai, and Europe of Africa rolled into one, given the entrepreneurial capacities and ingenuity of our people as well as the potentials already shown by Nnewi, Onitsha, and Aba.

    “By their convergence, for instance, South East States can easily attract investors or pool their resources to establish industrial parks, develop the Onitsha seaport, dredge the River Niger, revive the Oji River Power Station or build an entirely new one. This is the way to go.”

    He further called for systemic inter-governmental and inter-agency collaboration and synergy, where each State and Local Government is able to optimize its potentials.

    To this end, he said the report of the ‘One Local Government One Product’, OLOP, study carried out by SMEDAN to identify unique products or services in each of the 774 Local Governments in Nigeria should be taken seriously with a view to developing them to be competitively attractive in the global markets.

    The Deputy Senate President advised government to take steps to arrest the exchange rate volatility and create special tax regimes for SMEs, noting that “currency volatility is worse than high exchange rates as it makes planning and business transactions extremely difficult”.

    He appealed to the Federal Government and the States to design a special tax regime for SMEs to help them to grow.

    “In the midst of highly deficit socio-economic infrastructure, running businesses in our country is a herculean task, especially for upcoming firms, hence the need to streamline and trim their taxes”.

    Ekweremadu the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industry, and Agriculture of National Assembly’s readiness to always provide all necessary legal frameworks and legislative interventions to support the industrial sector and SMEs.

     

  • Senate opens probe of N298m SUV car purchase

    Senate opens probe of N298m SUV car purchase

    • ABU VC clears Melaye of certificate forgery

    The Senate Monday commenced an investigation into the allegation of purchase of N298 million Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with fake customs papers levelled against Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

    The high-profile probe is coming as Saraki said that the upper chamber was being tackled by unnamed persons for resolving to order the reversal of the controversial policy of retrospective duty payment on vehicles introduced by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

    The Senate President spoke when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, probing the alleged importation of N298 million bulletproof Ranger Rover SUV.

    The Senator Samuel Anyanwu led committee also questions Senator Dino Melaye over the allegation that he did not graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria.

    Saraki’s appearance before the Ethics Committee marked the first time since the return to democracy in 1999, that a sitting Senate President will appear before Ethics committee to clear his name.

    The Senate had on March 21st referred the two issues to its Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee for investigation.

    This followed a point of order motion raised by Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, (Borno South) that the issue is investigated to protect the integrity of the Senate.

    Ndume relied on some publications to draw the attention of the Senate to the damning allegations against Saraki and Melaye.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, promptly referred the issues to the Ethics committee to investigate and report back within four weeks.

    Apart from Anyanwu, other members of the committee at the investigative hearing included Senators Mao Ohuabunwa, (Abia North), Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South) who excused himself from Saraki’s probe but participated in Melaye’s investigation, Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central), Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North), Mathew Urhghide (Edo South) and Albert Akpan who said he is a friend to Melaye.

    Before Saraki began his testimony, Chairman of the committee explained to him why he was invited by the committee.

    Anyanwu specifically asked Saraki whether he (Saraki) is an importer, whether he imported any vehicle in the name of Abubakar Bukola Saraki if it is true that he imported SUV Range Rover that was clear with fake customs papers.

    Saraki was also asked whether the SUV was cleared in his name or on his behalf and whether he asked anybody to clear the SUV on his behalf.

    The Senate President began his testimony with a warning those fighting the National Assembly should desist from the act in the interest of democracy.

    He insisted that democracy cannot thrive if institutions of government are deliberately weakened and ridiculed.

    Saraki said, “I use this opportunity to commend the good work that you are doing and your effort and contribution to building the institution of the Senate that we all have sworn to defend and we are all here to do that.

    “Part of my being here in person is all part of my belief that what you are doing here is to strengthen our institution.

    “I said I want to come here personally, subject myself to this process because I think we must continue to build this institution and this is part of the process of building this institution.

    “Most of the questions come to a basic issue.

    “I am not an importer and at no point did I import an SUV Range Rover. As you know this is a vehicle that is not a “personal vehicle. It is a vehicle which was processed through the National Assembly.

    “I don’t know anything about the importation; I did not appoint any clearing agent or anything like that.

    “Most of the vehicles that are here you only know when it is delivered to you. None of this did I import or getting any agent or going to the port.

    “This is not true, those that said it know it is not true, Customs knows it is not true because we all know that all treated vehicles have end user certificate and it states clearly who the importer is and these documents are available and there is no document anywhere that shows my name.

    “So I want to state categorically that this is not true and it is important that I come here and clear my name and put this matter to rest.

    “We all raised the issue of the policy that is anti-people in the interest of Nigerians. This policy that really had no value at all and that was why this motion came up and we debated it in the interest of Nigerians, but unfortunately those who want to fight back went and thought there was something to blackmail us with.

    “But I believe that the issue at hand regarding this issue as I said categorically I am not an importer and I know the documents you have will show clearly that it has nothing to do with me.

    “I believe that this process is good for us. It will further strengthen our institution. It is a great day for our democracy for me to come before you as the president of the Senate.

    “We must protect this institution. As members, we will come and go but we must protect this institution.

    “To ridicule an institution of this magnitude is not something we should take lightly and that is why I have taken the time to be here.

    “Today it is me but tomorrow it will be another person. I think it is part of the sacrifice we are making in the work that we are doing that we have these kinds of cases that did not hold water.

    “We must protect this institution because this is the only thing we can leave. The difference between military rule and democracy is the parliament. For as long as the parliament is weak, our democracy can never be strong.

    “That is why I told myself that I must come here no matter how ridiculous I felt it was because the documents are clear. There is nowhere it said I imported it, it is not my private vehicle.”

    On the importer of the car, Tokunbo Akindle, Chairman of the Committee Anyanwu told him that the allegation was that he imported an SUV and did not pay the import duties and that was the reason the Senate is having an issue with the Nigerian Customs.

    Tokunbo Akindele responded: In 2015 on behalf of the firm that I work for, Oando PLC, we imported a Range Rover Bullet Proof SUV vehicle.

    “We imported it as the company that needed to use it for the various operations that we have around the country.

    “The car took longer than was expected and by the time it reached Nigeria in 2015, September, we decided that we will no longer be using the car, so we effectively packed it.

    “Initially because we are not going to use it for any operations whatsoever because we already met the requirements needed.

    “The process of acquiring the car we mandated a company offshore, to buy the car, armour the car, ship the car, clear the car with Customs and just deliver the car to us as a full-fledged service.

    “We received the car in September 2015 assuming that all of these things are done, all payments were made for the acquisition, the armouring, the shipping as well as the clearing of which we have necessary evidence.

    “The car was not imported for the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki.

    “In the process of clearing the car, we did not receive any documentation from the National Assembly.

    “We were not a part of clearing the car, we were the customer, we were expected to receive the car for our own use.

    “The vehicle was not to be used by Sen. Bukola Saraki, it was not imported or acquired for his use at the time the vehicle came into the country.

    “The National Assembly took receipt of the car through a consignment from us, through Lanre Shittu Motors in December 2015.

    “The car had been in the country for two months and had been sitting with no use and it was at that point that we released it to Lanre Shittu on consignment who sold it to the National Assembly.

    “At no point did we submit any fake document for the clearing of the car. We followed all due process in terms of payment to the company which handled the entire process for us.”

    Also speaking, the car dealer, Olarenwaju Shittu, told the committee that they facilitated the sale of the car to the National Assembly.

    He said that there was never a time they sold the car to Saraki.

    “It was when the car was intercepted sometime in 2017 that it was brought to my knowledge and we contacted Oando who gave us the papers that they said was fake,” Shittu said.

     

  • Senate lauds enhancement of powers of ECOWAS Parliament

    Senate lauds enhancement of powers of ECOWAS Parliament

    The Senate Wednesday hailed the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for enhancing the powers of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    The upper chamber resolved to congratulate the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government as well as well as the ECOWAS Parliament on the milestone.

    It also pressed for the amendment of the Electoral Act to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct election to fill Nigerian’s 35 seats at the Community Parliament.

    The resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu Wednesday.

    Ekweremadu who is also a former Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, recalled that although the Parliament was established in 2000 sequel to the Article 13 of the 1993 Revised Treaty of ECOWAS, and ECOWAS Protocol A/P2/8/94 of 1994, the Parliament had existed only as a mere advisory body.

    He further recalled that while previous efforts to enhance the powers of the Community Parliament had failed, the 3rd Legislature of the Parliament, which he headed as the Speaker, championed a robust advocacy for the actualisation of this project, “including coming up with a Draft Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the Community Parliament to bring the institution to the international best standards”.

    The Deputy Senate President, however, regretted that despite the adoption of the Supplementary Act by the 46th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of the State and Government in Abuja in December 2014, the 47th Ordinary Session of the Authority had failed to sign, to bring it into force in Accra in May 2015, before the expiration of the 3rd Legislature.

    He commended the 4th Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament for continuing with the relentless efforts (take this out :towards) to enhance the powers of the Parliament, and described as a thing of “immense joy” to the peoples of West Africa, the “eventual endorsement of the ECOWAS Supplementary Act A/SA/1/12/16 by the 50th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja in December 2016”.

    On the implications of the enhanced powers of the institution, he said the Supplementary Act now bestows on the Community Parliament enhanced competences, (take out namely) such as involvement in the enactment of all Community Acts, adoption of the Community Budget, and powers of oversight function.

    Ekweremadu called on the Senate to note in particular the provision for the election of Community Parliamentarians by direct adult suffrage by Article 18 of the Supplementary Act provides, a situation, he said, called for the amendment of the Electoral Act of Nigeria to empower the INEC to conduct the election of the Nigeria Country Delegation into the Parliament when that Article comes into effect.

    Summing up the debate on the motion, which was was seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Ibn N’Allah (Kebbi South), the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, described the enhancement of powers of the Parliament as “historic and very commendable”

    He added: “We want to thank all those that worked towards it, especially our own Deputy President of the Senate and the leadership of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    “This is something we should all be proud of. It is a victory, not only for the legislative democracy, but I think the coming together of the ECOWAS body to a more people-oriented and focused assembly. We charge the regional body to take advantage of this to ensure that they continue to work for the actualisation of regional integration”.

  • Xenophobic attacks: Senate to send delegation to S/African parliament

    Xenophobic attacks: Senate to send delegation to S/African parliament

    …Rejects calls to severe relations

     

    The continuing xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa took centre stage Tuesday in the Senate.

    The upper chamber after over one hour deliberation of the contentious issue, resolved to dispatched a “powerful” parliamentary delegation to South African parliament to express the displeasure of the Nigerian parliament over the attacks.

    The lawmaker however turned down the prayer for the Nigerian Government to reconsider its diplomatic ties with South African.

    Senator Rose Oko (Cross River North) and three others presented a motion on “Resurgence of xenophobic attacks and extra-judicial killings of Nigerians in South Africa.”

    The Oko specifically asked the Senate to ask the Federal Government to reconsider Nigeria’s diplomatic ties with South Africa if the ugly incidents of the attacks of Nigerians do not stop.

    The prayer was rejected as some of the Senators contended that the ripple effect of such action would be overwhelming.

    Senate President, Abubakaer Bukola Saraki, noted that the government could no longer fold its hands and allow its citizens to be attacked and killed.

    Saraki said that henceforth, Nigerian ambassadors in other country’s would be given specific assignments to defend the dignity and rights of Nigerians living abroad.

    The Senate President said that the Senate would work to ensure that funding for foreign missions are increased.

    Saraki said: “I want to thank the mover of the motion and those that have contributed. This attack has become one too many. We must put a stop to these attacks. We must take the bull by the horn. That is why we have resolved to meet with the South African parliament.

    “We must be seen to be defending the dignity of Nigerians abroad. We need to screen the ambassadorial nominees to ensure that they protect Nigerians abroad. Some foreign missions are poorly funded. On our own part, we must show commitments. I want to commend Nigerians who have shown restraints.”

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in his contribution noted that it seemed the Federal Government is not doing enough to protect Nigerians living in South Africa.

    He said: “It appears that our brothers and sisters in South Africa have forgotten where they are coming from. South Africa suffered Apartheid for many years. It took the intervention of Nigeria for them to get out of that.

    “There was a time Nigerians did not need a visa to travel to the United Kingdom. They started issuing visas to Nigerians when we imposed sanctions on UK, following the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Till this day, we still need visas to go to the UK. This happened because of what we did for South Africa.

    “I think Nigeria needs to take a position. Enough is enough. There was a time Nigerians accommodated South Africans in Nigeria and they only returned to their country when the Apartheid regime ended. As a country, we gave them money and rendered other forms of assistance.

    “I suggest that we send a strong delegation to the South African parliament to table our position. We cannot allow them to continue to attack our people and their businesses.”

    Senate committee chairman on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, on her part told the Senate that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama had already been summoned by her committee, in conjunction with her colleague in the House of Representatives.

    Senator Sunmonu said that the outcome of their interaction with the Minister will be communicated to the Senate in plenary next week.

    Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, in his contribution recalled the pivotal role played by the Nigerian Government during the apartheid regime.

    Adeyeye noted that it was unbecoming of South Africa to ill-treat Nigerians despite the Nigerian’s sacrifice to the liberation of South Africa..

    He said, “South Africans must be reminded that it was Nigeria that came to their rescue in their hour of need. We played a role in liberating South Africans. It breaks my heart to see that having done so much for South Africa, they have turned around to be the one fighting Nigerians.”

  • Ekweremadu seeks chambers of commerce support to end recession

    Ekweremadu seeks chambers of commerce support to end recession

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Thursday asked the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture in the country to look inwards and come out with innovations that will help move the country out of economic recession.

    Ekweremadu expressed the readiness of the National Assembly to provide adequate legislative structure to move the economy out of recession and help to ease the sufferings of Nigerians.

    A statement by the Special Adviser (media) to the Deputy Senate President, Uche Anichukwu, said that Ekweremadu spoke when he received a delegation from the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, which was on a working visit to his Office at the National Assembly ahead of the forthcoming 28th Enugu International Trade Fair.

    Ekweremadu was quoted to have said that “the situation we have found ourselves now as a country is such that we are the only people who can save ourselves”.

    He emphasised the need for government agencies and the private sector to work together to diversify the nation’s economy to provide alternative sources of income other than oil.

    He said: “The 28th Enugu Trade Fair could not have come at a better time in the history of our country than now that we are in recession and most of our friends are turning their backs on us. Some are moving their industries and businesses out of Nigeria; and investors are no longer confident in our system.

    “So, this is time for all of us, particularly the various Chambers of Commerce to look inwards to be able to provide for ourselves those things, which we had expected others to provide or do for us”.

    Senator Ekweremadu said only economic diversification, propelled by fiscal federalism and initiatives by the various Chambers of Commerce could take the country out of the woods, permanently.

    Ekweremadu added: “Economic diversification is primarily about the areas the Chambers of Commerce focus on, namely, commerce, industry as well as mines and agriculture.

    “Every part of Nigeria has abundant mineral resources that can sustain each state and the development of the mines sector must be encouraged to boast non-oil revenues. That is also where fiscal federalism comes in so that we can stop bottle-feeding the states.

    “The agricultural sector and commerce also hold much potential for this country. Commerce is essentially what has given Nigeria an edge over others because while others focus on big businesses, we have small businesses all over Nigeria that are easily set up and employ small numbers but cumulatively massive numbers”.

    The Deputy President of the Senate also emphasised the need for government-private sector initiative to reboot the industrial sector to boost productivity, grow the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and generate employment “instead of spending scarce resources to import what could be manufactured in our country”.

    He assured that the National Assembly would look into the completion of the Enugu Trade Fair Complex as obtains in Lagos and Kaduna.

    Leader of the delegation and President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Ugochukwu Chime, said the successful hosting of the Enugu trade fair would go a long way to provide the needed buffer for the nation’s recessed economy, and engender growth and prosperity across board for Nigeria.

    Chime also commended the National Assembly, especially the Senate for its emphasis on made-in-Nigeria goods and urged the National Assembly to appropriate funds for the completion of the Enugu Trade Fair Complex.

  • Court Verdict on PDP: No cause for alarm, Says Ekweremadu

    Court Verdict on PDP: No cause for alarm, Says Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Friday asked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members and supporters not to worry over the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, on the lingering party leadership tussle.

    Ekweremadu stated this while reacting to the Court judgment which declared Ali Modu Shariff authentic chairman of the PDP.

    This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser (media) to the Deputy Senate President, Uche Anichukwu.

    Ekweremadu said, “There is no cause for alarm. The party leadership will meet as soon as possible to take a decision on the best way forward.

    “I enjoin party faithful to remain steadfast as we will surely emerge stronger from the present challenges. Those dreaming about the death of the opposition in Nigeria will have to sleep much longer, and still wake up to meet us much stronger because a vibrant opposition is the beauty of democracy”.

     

  • Ekweremadu wants Presidential Inauguration shifted to NASS  

    Ekweremadu wants Presidential Inauguration shifted to NASS  

    The first reading of a Bill for an Act to provide for the inauguration of the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, also known as Presidential Inauguration Bill, 2016, was taken by the Senate in plenary Tuesday.

    The Bill, sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, seeks to move the inauguration of the President and the Vice President from the Eagles Square to within the precincts of the National Assembly, in tandem with international best practices as obtained in the United States of America, USA, and many other democracies.

    However, the 11-Section Bill does not seek to preclude the Chief Justice of Nigeria from administering the Oath of Office on the two foremost political leaders.

    It provides for the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect and the Vice President-elect to take place at the Arcade of the National Assembly, where the people are represented.

    It provides for the setting up of a Presidential Inauguration Committee, which shall consist of a serving member of the National Assembly as Chairman, six members drawn from the Legislature, two from the Executive, two from the Judiciary, and two from the Civil Society.

    No date has been fixed for debate on the general principles of Bill and a possible second reading.

    Section 7 provides for a Procession with the President, while former Presidents, former Heads of State, former Heads of Federal Government, former Vice Presidents, former Senate Presidents, former Speakers of the House of Representatives, and former Chief Justices of the Federation, follow.

    The Bill further provides for the President-elect and Vice President-elect to be the last to come, accompanied by their immediate families and also to be supported by their spouses, serving President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives at the point of swearing-in.

    Although Nigeria’s current democratic system is modeled after that of the USA, some practices such as State of the Union Address and presidential inauguration practices are yet to be integrated into the nation’s democratic practices.

    A State of the Nation Address Bill sponsored by Senator Ekweremadu and passed by the 7th National Assembly was not accented to by the former President. However, it is expected to form part of the ongoing constitution amendment effort.

    The Presidential Inauguration Bill was also earlier by Senator Jubril Aminu in 2009 and passed by the 6th National Assembly, but was not also assented to by the former President.

  • Nigeria in dire need of redemption – Ekweremadu

    Nigeria in dire need of redemption – Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu said Friday that the Nigerian nation was in dire need of redemption saying the nation has lived with poor governance, extravagance and indolence induced by free money for too long.

    Ekweremadu said the time for free money is over and the time has come for Nigeria and Nigerians to retrace their steps as the country is already neck deep in economic recession with the attendant hard life and escalation in inflation.

    Speaking at the investiture of the 15th President of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, said it was unfortunate that the country was not structured for wealth creation and economic prosperity, but for wealth sharing and guzzling.

    The Deputy Senate President said however there was hope for the country only if professionals do the right thing, assuring that while the National Assembly will continue to make laws for the good governance of the country, the attitude of the people and government must also change.

    He said: “This investiture ceremony comes at a most crucial time in our recent history. Instructively, well-meaning Nigerians including my humble self-have continued to warn, even long before now, that our nation is not structured for wealth creation and economic prosperity, but for wealth sharing and guzzling.

    “Otherwise, there should have been no reason to continue to rue the fall in oil pride in a knowledge driven global economy. It is a clear indication of how much we have thrived on a wrong federal structure and wasted our yesteryear a. For too long, we have lived with poor governance, extravagance and indolence induced by free money.

    “Today, the honeymoon is over. We must wake up to reality and retrace our steps. The country is already neck deep in economic crisis, the recession bites even harder and inflation has escalated. It is needless to cry over spilt milk. But I dire to add that we are a country in dire need of redemption and very fast too and this redemption must also start from within.

    “We will continue to work hard to ensure that the legal frameworks guiding our electoral system conform to international best practices and standard while also addressing our peculiar local challenges.

    “However, I will be quick to add that our attitudes as a people and government are equally as important as the laws, for laws amount to nothing unless they are obeyed and enforced.

    Therefore, while we do our best to reform our electoral system, we should also be patriotic enough to respect our laws and ends chew impunity.

    While expressing hope for a bright future for the country, Ekweremadu said: “with the array of professional bodies that make up the APBN, I see hope for our nation. I have gone through the list of professional bodies that constitute the APBN and I came to the conclusion that we will be out of the wood sooner than expected if each professional body plays its part well.

    “APBN comprises the creme de la creme of Nigeria’s technocrats and professional community. Therefore, we certainly have the requisite knowledge and human resources to revamp our economy if we deploy round pegs in round holes regardless of political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

    “For the APBN in particular, it is time to show your strength and worth. I challenge you to rise to the occasion and proffer short, medium and long term solutions to our economic crisis.”

    Delivering a paper entitled “Deconstructing professionalism in the context of economic recession: a fresh perspective”, Deputy Bice Chancellor of the African Business School, Abuja, Dr. Anthony Ubani said the failure of leadership  was largely responsible for the present economic recession in the country.

    According to Ubani, contemporary studies in economic development have conclusively determined that there are other critical factors, other than capital and markets that stimulate economic growth and development, one of which he said is leadership and governance which speaks to the available quality and quantity of professional, political, managerial, entrepreneurial, technical skills and abilities as well as the strength of institutions.

    He said: “In practical terms, leadership is what determines and drives governance. Good governance whether democratic or corporate seeks to establish and promote strong, credible and sustainable institutions which regulates performance and compliance.

    “Institutions are enablers of efficiency, predictability, stability, trust, business, innovation, growth, development and confidence in the economy. Invariably, therefore, a leadership that lacks professionalism cannot deliver credible and strong governance institutions that the economy needs to thrive.

    “Today, the credibility of governance institutions is the number one indicator that investors use in making their investment decisions. In other words, to the extent that the rule of law, an independent legislature, a free press, a vibrant civil society, effective regulatory institutions, etc cannot be guaranteed in Nigeria, then it will be difficult if not impossible to attract the much needed foreign and local investments that are urgently required to reflate Nigeria’s economy and reverse the current economic recession.

    “The implication of this is that leadership has a direct relationship with economic growth and development. As professionals, it is therefore important to understand that leadership recession is the direct cause of economic recession in Nigeria. A leadership, whether corporate or political, that lacks professionalism, purpose, patriotism, vision and values can only engender economic poverty, political instability, social dislocation and failure.

    “Furthermore, if we agree that integrity, specialized knowledge and compliance to rules and laws are about the most potent solutions to the malignant cancers of corruption, compromise, complacency, impunity and incompetence that have conspired to mortgage Nigeria’s economy, then we can also logically deduce that the APBN is uniquely positioned to offer and inject these solutions into the leadership orientation of Nigeria.

    “The message therefore, is that the APBN, more than ever before, has a critical role to play in supporting, strengthening and enhancing the efforts of government to pull Nigeria out of the present economic recession.”